Alternative Realities
by DistractionCake
Summary: "Alternative (adjective): of one or more things, available as another possibility." Inspired by other popular f/f ships, here is a 6 part series of Dani and Santana in different shows/worlds. Each chapter is a one-shot. (Note: They are not crossovers, since original show characters will not appear; just Glee ones.)
1. Orphan Black

**a/n:** This idea would not leave me alone. So here you have it: alternative realities!Dantana inspired by other shows with popular f/f ships.

* * *

[1/6]

She's expecting ideas or suggestions. She's hoping he's got a plan to get them both out of this insane mess she's gotten them into. He's supposed to be the smart one, isn't he? What she's not expecting is a panicked fucking recap of things that she already knows.

_Fucking hell._

"So, let me get this straight: You get fired from your job at the Diner the same day that Sandy comes to collect the money you owe him from that time you sold drugs for him."

"It was medical marijuana." Santana interrupts him. He can ramble all he wants, but that doesn't mean she's just going to sit there and _not_ comment.

"You give him a Sheets-N-Things $50 gift card to hold him over for the next 48 hours, which somehow works – " she doesn't get why he's so surprised at that. Sandy Ryerson loves that stupid store. Maybe he's still pissed Santana saw the card lying on the ground before he did.

"...while you find a way to make the additional $950 you owe him that does not involve prostitution."

"Or more drugs." _His glare needs some work_, is all Santana thinks when he looks her way. They need to start practicing their bitch faces in the mirror more often.

"Instead, you decide that the depressed lady who jumped in front of the subway that same night was the perfect person to rob from because you felt you looked enough like her to _steal_ her identity." The judgment is just dripping from his words.

"We looked exactly alike." Santana snaps. She's made mistakes, but to hell if he's going to be judgmental about any of them. Like he would have done any different. Or any better.

"So, you go to her home which is some ridiculous Gossip Girl style mansion in the Upper East Side and find out that she's some reclusive heiress. You try to empty out one of her bank accounts and you somehow pull it off." He's back to sounding impressed, which is a good sign.

"Bank managers are dumb." Santana responds. _His smirk is perfection, though._

"But then you get kidnapped by some other chick."

"Karen."

"That also looks exactly like you, but this one is a P.I. and she kindly informs you, once she's figured out you're not the heiress – "

"Claire."

"That you're a clone."

"Yup."

"That's it?"

"That's it, Kurt."

"And now you're fucking the heiress's best friend."

"Dani."

"Jesus Christ." he says, as he collapses on their shitty couch.

They are so fucked.

* * *

She thinks she might be having some sort of panic attack. She can tell Carmen is still rambling on and on with her damn science and stupid explanations while the rest of the clon – of the group is hunched over her desk looking at her computer, but Santana can't hear a thing. She's heard enough and it's already making her sick. One thing does stick out the most – even if deep down she knows that it's completely selfish of her to focus on this one problem in particular.

"Monitor?" her voice comes out softer, rougher than she expected it too. It doesn't matter, because they all hear her anyway. Karen stands up straight and leads Coral, who seems to be two seconds from saying something incredibly stupid, away.

Carmen comes over to her and grabs her hands gently. It registers in Santana's mind that this is the first time any of them have actually touched her like this, skin to skin. It sends a chill up her spine.

"She's been watching over Claire her whole life."

The explanation somehow makes more sense the second time around. She goes from heartbreak, to disgust, to anger, in seconds. Santana pulls her hands away, grabs the nearest coat and heads out. She ignores the calls of her name.

It registers a few minutes later that she's actually wearing Coral's coat. Seems appropriate, since Coral is somehow an even bigger judgmental bitch than she is. And if she ends up getting a little blood on it, well that would just be icing on the cake now, wouldn't it?

* * *

"Did you even love her?" She's shaking. They're at the mansion, in the middle of the goddamn dinning room with a table that seats 12 people. Santana's sure not even half of that have ever sat there.

"Of course I did! Everything I've ever done was for her!"

"Bullshit. You spied on her her whole life." She answers back. Dani doesn't get to play the victim here. Claire is dead. Jumped in front of a fucking subway right in front of Santana's very own fucking eyes. Dani doesn't get to be the one that hurts right now, she just doesn't.

"She's always been depressed and suicidal and she would have killed herself years ago if it wasn't for me. You think I did all this for kicks? She was sick, mentally sick – "

More of Carmen's earlier ramble comes to Santana. She explained that they were all sick. There was an error in their coding. A virus. How it manifests or when isn't certain, but for Claire it did when she was just a kid. It made her go crazy.

"... and it was my job to look out for her. And the one night she slips past me..." Dani's sobbing now. Can barely keep going. She remembers another thing Carmen said.

_Monitors. We all have them, except for probably you, Santana. Odds are they're trained and dangerous. We have to figure out who they are and how to protect ourselves._

Looking at Dani now, Santana don't see some trained assassin. There isn't some genius scientist. There's only a girl, who looks somehow both younger and older than she actually is. She's not armed and she's not dangerous. She's... she's not the enemy.

Santana wipes at her own eyes before softly speaking again, "Her diary says she couldn't understand why you were still around."

Her diary said more than that. How Claire knew Dani was in love with her. How she didn't love her back. How she didn't understand why Dani didn't just let her leave the house. How she didn't understand why Dani didn't just let her go so that they could both find peace.

Dani manages to calm down long enough to answer, "She kept telling me to leave, but I couldn't...I can't."

Santana sees the guilt in her eyes; the heartbreak. She feels responsible for what happened.

Santana takes the steps necessary to reach Dani. She reaches out and cups the blonde's face. Dani doesn't even flinch. She kisses her, _hard_. Their teeth clack against each other as Dani's hands scramble to grab a hold of Santana.

Santana tries to let her know, to make her understand that there wasn't anything she could do. Their fates were sealed the moment they were made.

_Made._

They can't escape. Santana can feel the tears coming hot and fast as she begins to accept it.

_Fuck._

Dani kisses back harder though, almost as if trying to make a point. Santana pulls back and looks into her eyes. They're both out of breath, panting from the lack of oxygen brought on by the kissing and the tears neither of them seem to be able to stop.

Santana sees a sliver of hope in those beautiful brown eyes. She lets her head lull forward gently, resting her forehead against Dani's.

Hope.

Somehow it's enough to keep them both from drowning in their pain.

* * *

"The first time we had sex, did you know it wasn't her?" She's sure she knows the answer.

"The second we kissed." Dani confirms her suspicion.

"Why did you keep going?" Santana's not sure the answer matters anymore. Not really. Not when they're in bed, and Dani's sitting up to read. She's wearing her glasses and her hair is in a messy bun and she's wearing a large T-shirt and not much else. But still, Santana rolls onto her right side to stare at her while she waits for the answer.

"Because she finally got what she wanted...and I guess I wanted to be able to do the same." Dani turns to looks at Santana.

"It's been 2 years. We escaped." Santana whispers.

"We did."

"Did you even love me?"

"I do."

It's the only answer Santana needs.

* * *

(Inspired by Orphan Black)


	2. Lost Girl

[2/6]

"Look, I've met kitsune before and trust me, even I have standards."

"Ouch. You are one harsh succubus."

Santana glances at the woman leaning against the bar next to her. She doesn't seem offended by her words, if anything, she seems more amused.

And more determined to make a point, if her changing her hair color from black to blonde is any indication.

(It starts from her roots, all the way down to the tips and Santana can't help but follow the movement of the color. The action reminiscent of someone undressing, and _fuck_ it's hot, okay?)

"I know." She somehow manages to find words and not look like a complete and total idiot as she turns to take a sip of the drink the girl bought her.

"Oh well. I heard you're a lousy fuck anyway."

She almost chokes on her drink. Santana's head snaps back to look at the kitsune. Her eyes are shining bright with amusement and she's biting her lip to keep what is certain to be a huge smile from her face.

Oh, it is _so_ on.

* * *

"Thoughts?" Santana pants, as she adjusts herself to lay more comfortably on her back.

After the girl's comment, Santana finished her drink, grabbed her hand and took her back to the Clubhouse. Ignoring Berry and Lady Hummel trading makeup tips on their shitty couch, she led the kitsune back to her room and proceeded to rock her world. Take that, gossippy bitches.

"7½."

"Fuck you." Santana quickly looks to her side and sees the girl trying hard not to laugh at Santana's automatic response.

"You just did. Also, thoughts?"

"10/10 would do again." The laugh that bubbles out of the kitsune is one of Santana's favorite sounds in the world.

"You're such an idiot."

"Yeah, yeah. Come here, baby." Santana responds as she turns and throws a hand over Dani's middle. She cuddles up to the now blue haired girl – and _seriously_, orgasm-induced hair color changes are the _best_ – and laughs as the girl squirms.

"Santana." Dani whines as she finally stops wriggling.

"What? I thought the game was over."

"It's not over 'till you say, 'What's your name again?'" Dani responds with a pout. Santana leans up to kiss it away.

"Sorry, forgot." They make up the rules before every time they go out. After a few orgasms, she tends to forget which is the phrase that's meant to end their little charade that night.

"You're lucky I love you." Dani says as she finally relaxes completely and moves on her side to allow Santana to spoon her.

Finding out she was a succubus explained a_ lot_ of things. Finding out about this whole other world of Fae was the biggest mindfuck in existence. Still though, she wouldn't go back to her old life for anything in the world.

She's got her crappy broken down house, her very own human (she does love Rachel, even if she only ever admits it when they're about to die), and plenty of messy Fae friends (Puckerman and Brittany were lots of fun and thankfully still have her back even after choosing to not be with either of them; and having a mesmer like Kurt does come in handy).

Still, the best thing to come out of this whole ordeal is definitely Dani.

She was told that a succubus couldn't live off of just one sexual partner and well, whoever made up that rule had never met Dani. And as the girl's hair turns back, making her a brunette once again, Santana figures that their game does technically mean she beds a new person every night.

As long as she wakes up to that face though, Santana knows that everything is alright.

"Love you too."

* * *

(Inspired by Lost Girl)


	3. Grey's Anatomy

[3/6]

"Did you meet the new head of Pediatrics?"

"Yes, Rachel." Santana answers with a sigh. She knows where this conversation is going and she would much rather be in surgery for 18 hours than deal with Dr. Rachel Berry's penchant for matchmaking.

"She's gorgeous."

"She is." Santana's not blind. The new doctor at West-Lima Hospital is a total knockout, but Santana's had enough relationship problems to last her a lifetime.

(Marrying Puck was stupid; letting Brittany walk away was even stupider.)

"Ask her out." Rachel says.

"You know, it's not that simple. I can't just –"

"Dr. Lopez, you are the head of Orthopedics. You are a certified bone-breaking badass. Are you seriously letting a pretty girl get the best of you? And before you say it – what happened with Puck was 6 years ago, and Brittany 4. I think you're due something more than casual hookups with Dr. Fabray in the on-call room." Rachel interrupts.

"Jealous?" Santana asks, because really, why is Rachel so fixated on who she does or does not fuck?

"Ask. Her. Out." Rachel answers as she picks up her tray and exits the cafeteria.

Santana is so screwed.

* * *

"So, did you ask me out because _you _wanted to or did Rachel tell you about my crush on you?" Dani asks as they walk out of the restaurant where they had dinner.

Santana's thinking that the food was nice and that maybe they can go get some ice-cream, before Dani's question fully sinks in.

"Wait, you what?"

"Come on Dr. Lopez, the night is still young." Dani says as she takes her hand and interlocks their fingers. She laughs a bit as she guides Santana down the street.

Santana is so screwed.

* * *

"You're in love with a doctor that wears Heelys, calls her patients tiny humans, and believes in magic."

"Yup."

"And she's in love with you?"

"Yup."

"Jesus Christ."

Dr. Hummel definitely agrees, Santana is so screwed.

* * *

"We're getting married and my Abuela won't come and you're parents won't even speak to you. How do you know where doing the right thing?" She knows she's panicking. After 3 years together, two almost breakups, and a goddamn shooting in the hospital, Santana finally asked the question. Two months later though – two days before the actual damn wedding – and she's wondering if this is all a mistake.

"Because this right here" Dani says, taking a hold of Santana's left hand and placing it over her heart "this frantically beating heart, the accompanying butterflies, and the ridiculously shaking hands feel too good to ever be a bad thing. Because there are a lot of things I don't know, like can fish drown or what is the sound of one hand clapping," Santana's eyes water as she lets out a chuckle at how ridiculously adorable her fiancee is "but I do know these three things: Number one, you are an amazing ortho surgeon. The best I've ever met in my life. Number two, I've loved you since our fist kiss." Santana remembers it well, sitting in that dumb ice-cream shop after dinner, her hand still tingling from when Dani had dragged her down the street. "And number three, in just a couple of nights I'll be calling you my wife for the rest of our lives. Nothing else matters." Dani finishes quietly.

Santana surges forward and kisses her. Tries to convey the amount of love she has for this woman. She knows they're not making a mistake, nothing else has ever felt this right. She feels it in her bones, and dammit, she's an ortho surgeon – bones are her life! So she pulls back just enough to look into Dani's eyes and confirm that at the end of the day, all she needs is this woman standing at that altar and she knows it'll be the perfect wedding.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Santana is so screwed – and it's the best feeling in the world.

* * *

(Inspired by Grey's Anatomy)


	4. Black Sails

[4/6]

"I still can't believe we pulled it off." He says with a laugh. He's had a few drinks and usually Santana would tell him to knock it off, but tonight? Tonight they have a reason for celebrating.

"Well, believe it. We're legends now." she tells him.

"Yeah, but come tomorrow you're retiring - whatever the fuck that means." He replies as he takes a seat in front of her desk. He's not angry, at least not anymore, but he's still a bit hurt that she's leaving them.

"It means that I found something with a stronger calling than the sea." She explains again. And it's _that_ the most surprising part about this whole ordeal. She always pictured spending all her life on a boat, becoming one of those pirates that goes out fighting valiantly at sea. She never thought it would all end like this. "And come tomorrow, a vote will pass and you'll be the new captain of the Panther, Quartermaster Puckerman." she smirks at him and raises her own drink. She really couldn't have left this crew in better hands.

"Jesus Christ." he says as he clinks his bottle against her glass and laughs.

* * *

"You did it." Are the first words out of her mouth. She sounds surprised which makes Santana smirk as she leans against the door to her room.

She did do it alright. Pulled off the biggest heist any pirate had ever tried. Attacking and robbing the largest English Royal treasure ship and doing so successfully – with only her own crew and no outside help – she's going down as the baddest fucking bitch in history.

"I did. How 'bout you?" Santana asks. She got the gold, but all of this won't matter if Dani hasn't held up her part of the bargain.

"As of 8 days ago, I have officially paid off my debt to Schuester. We're free." She answers, her smile widening. Santana rushes towards her and picks her up. Dani's giggles fill the room as Santana twirls them around.

They had never been able to get it right between them. The first time they met, Santana already had her ship and the reputation that came with it. While stopping in Nassau to sell off her goods to Sylvester, she had given her hard earned crew – hard fucking earned alright, it had taken a lot of work, a lot of blood, but it had all been worth it in the end – a few nights to fuck around. She had headed for the local brothel and asked for the most expensive whore.

She'd gotten Dani.

What happened after was a series of moments spread out through the years. Whenever the Panther stopped in Nassau, Santana would pay for exclusive rights to Dani for the amount of days she'd be in the island. How she ended up falling for her was a mystery.

(Except that it wasn't and she still remembered the moment she realized she was in love. They were lying in bed, Santana exhausted from her arrival and subsequent argument with Sylvester and not to mention a local pirate suddenly deciding she had to still keep proving herself a worthy captain.

The fight didn't last long, but that didn't make the bruises hurt any less. And as for Smythe, he'd ended up tasting her blade, literally.

So there they were, lying in bed, Dani having tended to her wounds. Santana was too tired for sex and instead the two spent the night simply sleeping. It was one of the best nights of her life and it was the moment she knew that she had more to live for than just the sea.)

Along the way, Dani had somehow fallen too. Santana had offered her freedom, but Dani had declined. She was too proud to have Santana pay off her debt, so she would do it herself. And that was the plan; Santana would get them the gold to start anew while Dani would finally free herself of the awful life she had been living.

"Come tomorrow we set sail for New York." Santana says, dropping Dani on the bed and laying on top of her.

"A new beginning. Think you're ready to leave behind those sea legs?"

"For you? Without a doubt." She answers pressing her lips against Dani's, moaning when the girl deepens it.

"Is that a promise?" Dani asks slightly out of breath as she pulls back.

"No. It's a threat, and one you should take seriously. I'm a pirate remember." Santana answers back pinching Dani's side and feeling the blonde squirm underneath her.

"You won't be one come tomorrow." She replies with a look of hope and wonder in those brown eyes.

"That's the plan." Santana says, because that indeed is the plan. She's made her name legendary now, and she didn't have to die to do so. Instead, she plans to die of old age with this gorgeous woman by her side. The idea itself is worth more than all the gold coins and silver pearls in the world.

"I love you." Dani says with a smile so bright it makes Santana's heart want to burst.

"I love you too."

* * *

(Inspired by Black Sails)


	5. Skins

[5/6]

They meet in the bathroom.

More like, she follows Santana into the bathroom.

She's panicking, okay? Because it's the first day of College and it already looks like things are going to go to shit. The same fucking form, _Christ._

"Don't." Santana interrupts her before she even has the chance to get a word out. "I'm not going to say anything. Just tell your damn sister to leave me the hell alone." Santana finishes applying her lip gloss and then promptly turns and leaves.

Dani looks at herself in the mirror and wonders what the hell she's doing with her life.

* * *

"What the fuck is _she_ doing here?" Is Quinn's angry questioning.

"I invited her." The glare that gets her would usually make her look away and quiet down, but she's so damn tired of always bowing to Quinn's requests and moods and just fuck it. "This is about helping Puck & Jake, right? The more helping hands the better."

"As long as she doesn't try it with any of us then –"

"I kissed her okay?!" And there it is. They're at this stupid underground party helping the Puckerman brothers sell drugs to pay off some stupid debt and all her older sister can focus on is whether or not Santana is going to try to kiss her, like she thinks happened last year. Dani is tired of the lies and she's tired of seeing Santana walk away from her, she's just...she's done. "I felt like fucking kissing someone and she was there, alright? Everyone good with that?"

It stops Santana from leaving and all the reaction it gets is a gross – and expected – comment from Puck.

It's a start.

* * *

"It's only the drugs right?" Santana asks, her eyes barely leaving Dani's lips as they stand together in a secluded part of the underground location of the party.

"Yeah." She doesn't hesitate to answer.

Santana crashes her mouth against hers and Dani can taste the desperation in her that she herself has.

This is a stolen moment and they both know it.

It's not only the drugs.

_Fuck.  
_

* * *

"I saw you! I fucking saw you with that dyke!" Quinn whisper-yells at her when they get to their room as the sun starts to come up.

Dani's heart stops for a second before she regains her courage. So, maybe she and Santana weren't really that alone and well, she's not going to make up some lie. She's already stood up to Quinn once in the last 24 hours and it felt fucking fantastic.

"Just fucking mind your own damn business!" She's done being a doormat.

"What do you think Mom and Dad are going to do when they find out?" Quinn sneers at her.

Dani tries to keep the tears that quickly come from falling; because that's her biggest fear isn't it? She _knows_ what her parents are going to do and she's not ready for it. Not yet.

"They won't." Dani answers back quietly.

"They will if I tell them."

And that's the straw that brakes the camel's back isn't? The fact that her own sister has such hatred for her, that she'd do this – that she'd _out _her. Dani snaps.

"Fine then, go on. We can all sit around the dinner table and talk about what a huge lesbian I am and for dessert we'll have a nice chat about how you're a pregnant slut."

The slap she receives doesn't surprise her.

The fact that it's not just her face that stings, does.

* * *

"Hey."

Dani looks up to see Santana approaching the park bench she's sitting on. She couldn't stand to stay at home after her fight with Quinn.

"Hey." Dani answers back just as she starts crying.

Santana sits next to her and wraps her up in her arms. Dani cries against her shoulder and just holds on tightly to her.

She doesn't know what the future holds for them, but for right now, this is enough.

* * *

"That's my kid! Not yours!" Puck yells at Finn.

Shit.

They had all decided to go camping, but Quinn hadn't invited Puck. Dani's surprised she and Santana got invited at all. She guesses it's just because Quinn thinks it was the only way to keep Dani from spilling the truth about her situation. How Quinn doesn't realize that she would never do that to her and had in fact done the exact opposite thing (she'd been the one to take the pregnancy test out of their bathroom trash once she had spotted it and thrown it in the neighbor's bin) is beyond her.

"Tell him!" Puck yells again.

They're all straining to sober up and actually understand what it is that's going on. How did Puck find them? And more importantly, why has he now decided it's time to be honest for once?

"Jesus Christ, you are such a fucking coward." He says looking at Quinn this time. Quinn, who is barely keeping it together and looking at both Finn and Puck with pleading eyes. Looking for one of them to save her from her own mess.

* * *

"Some party, huh?" Santana quietly whispers to her as they lay in their tent. Artie is sleeping on Santana's other side, so the girl adjusts to spoon Dani.

Dani just sighs in response.

Some party indeed.

* * *

"Go to the dance with me." Dani begs.

They've just spent the better part of the afternoon fucking in Santana's bedroom. Afterward, they started talking about the dance that Friday. Dani loves their time together, is sure she loves the girl too, and she needs to be able to to do this. To finally come out and take the weight that has been pressing against her chest and rid herself of it forever.

"I can't." Santana responds. She's wiping at her eyes as if she can stop the tears before they even form.

"My world's falling apart." Dani says, because it is. Her parents found out the truth – about her, about Quinn, about everything. The only reason she's not out on the streets is because the double revelation had left her parents so utterly disgusted that they couldn't even form words.

Neither of them acknowledge either of them, no matter how much Quinn cries as their mother only prepares breakfast for two.

"Then stay here." Santana reasons.

"I can't hide anymore. I need... I need to fix this." Dani says, the desperation clear in her voice.

"Who says anything is broken?" Santana questions, her voice finally back to her controlled tone.

"If you can't see that things aren't okay..." Dani says, choking up before she can even finish her sentence.

She gets dressed and leaves.

* * *

"Dani's too good for you." Quinn says, and she wholeheartedly believes it. Dani wants to be a lezzer bitch? Fine – but that doesn't automatically mean Santana is the right choice. Dani deserves better, which is why tricking Santana into meeting her in this stupid diner needed to be done.

"Maybe, but she chose me." Santana says, with a cocky smirk.

She thinks she's got this, that just because she's somehow found some fucking small amount of courage she can just march up and take Dani; like all her sister has done since the two fought is sit around and wait for her royal majesty. Well, Santana can kindly just fuck the fuck off.

"Really? 'Cause that's not what I heard. I heard she gave Artie quite the night. Sounds to me like she's not really chosen anything even remotely related to you." Quinn fires back, the gossip she'd learned about earlier just the killing blow she needed to stop this Santana and Dani nonsense in its tracks.

The look of utter heartbreak and devastation in Santana's eyes is worth it.

At least, she hopes it is.

* * *

"You lied to me."

"Santana."

They both sound so broken and Quinn... Quinn is so done with this. She's done with having two idiots fight over her, she's done with pretending this pregnancy isn't happening, and she's done with letting this bitch walk all over her sister.

Santana is going to regret ever showing up at this dance. Because Dani is _hers_, she's _Quinn's_. Only Quinn gets to be the one to break her, because only she has the power to put her back together.

At least, that's how it's always been.

* * *

"You couldn't just fuck off, could you?!" Quinn yells at Santana.

They're alone in the Choir Room and Quinn is two seconds away from smacking Santana in the face.

"Watch it, Tubbers! I didn't come here with plans to hit a pregnant chick, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to stand here and listen to your shit." Santana answers back.

"You broke her heart. Just like I knew you would." Quinn says.

"Fuck you. She broke mine first."

She's not sure how she feels about the look of heartbreak in Santana's eyes anymore. All she knows is she is so very tired of this war they all have going on.

* * *

"I'm a lesbian! And they're gay and we're all just people. So lay the fuck off." Dani yells.

Karofsky and Azimio had been bothering Kurt and Blaine just outside the school gym. It had been loud enough to draw the attention of all the people who weren't inside dancing. Still, no one had had the courage to go help them.

Dani had walked right over and placed herself between the two pairs of boys. She was done with hiding. She was going to do this and – as she was realizing now – she didn't need Santana or Quinn to find the courage to do so. All she needed was herself.

"Yeah? Where's your little girlfriend then?" Karofksy mocked.

"Right here." Santana answered as she quickly stepped next to Dani and placed her hand on the girl's lower back. She could feel Dani looking at her, she could feel all the students that were outside looking at her, but she didn't care. All she could hear was Quinn's words in the Choir Room after their initial fight.

_"We're both just hurting her, aren't we?" Quinn asked quietly. "I'm no better than you." She had said, letting out a bitter chuckle. "We're both just breaking her heart because we don't know how to love her." She had looked at Santana then. She sounded so resigned, so defeated. Like there was no point in trying anymore...but wasn't that why Santana had showed up at the dance for? To prove to herself and to Dani that, despite their mistakes, there was still hope. She had allowed the hurting in her heart to take over when she had seen the girl standing next to Artie at the entrance to the gym, but now she knew better._

_"Maybe, it's not too late for us."_

_Quinn had smiled at her._

_If that wasn't a sign, then Santana had no fucking clue what was._

"So, one more word out of either of your mouths and so help me god, you'll both be shitting your own teeth for the rest of the month." Santana said.

Both boys hesitated, clearly not expecting anyone – and least of all Santana Lopez – to challenge them.

"Whatever, queers." Azimio had responded before walking away. A beat passed before Karofsky followed him. Santana was sure he'd locked eyes with Kurt, but that was a problem for another day.

"Thank you." Kurt answered. Both girls turned to look at him.

Santana nodded before grabbing Dani's hand and leading her inside the gym. She saw Quinn looking at both of them. A small smile gracing her lips.

As they entered the gym, Santana led Dani to the dance floor. A slow song was playing, so she wrapped her arms around Dani's waist as the shorter girl put her's around her neck.

"I love you." Santana said.

"I know." Dani replied.

She pressed the girl closer to her. Santana knew there was a lot of work to be done here, but in that moment, the two of them slow dancing in a room without caring who saw – it was enough, for now.

"I love you too."

* * *

(Inspired by Skins)


	6. Pretty Little Liars

**a/n:** Hello! As it stands, this is the final part of the originally planned series. I'd like to thank all those who have read and/or reviewed, favorited and/or followed. I know this is sadly not as popular a pairing as it could have been (the show really dropped the ball) so really, it's meant the world to me that anyone has taken the time to read. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this part :)

**tw:** mentions of an eating disorder, self-harm, alcohol & drug abuse

* * *

[6/6]

"She just won't lay off my back. I swear, all she does is find new things to criticize at every practice. Like, what the fuck did I ever do to her?" Santana complains, as she shuts her locker.

Once again, she's completely and utterly pissed. And the day has only _just _started.

"Maybe she just strives for perfection." Rachel answers trying to find a logical reasoning behind the girl that continually seems to torment Santana.

"Maybe she's just a bitch."

* * *

"Seriously Santana, if you can't even get such simple choreography down what are you even doing here?"

She's out of breath. The dancing is hard and Santana knows she isn't at her best – but she's miles ahead of every other Cheerio out on the field...Except maybe Brittany, but that's understandable.

What isn't understandable though, is the fact that Sylvester's new lap dog has decided to once again single her out, like she's the only one who's messing up. Santana is _so_ over it.

"You know what, Dani?" She says, as she steps toward the blonde girl. She's about to go all Lima Heights right now, before strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her back.

"Stop the violence." Brittany says. It's enough to deflate Santana.

She still glares daggers at Dani for the rest of the practice.

* * *

"I don't get you. You seem to be this nice chick to just about _everyone_ else on the squad but me. What the fuck have I ever done to you? Why are you such a bitch to me?" She hadn't mean to confront the girl – she'd promised Brittany, who had said nothing but nice things about Dani – but, as Santana came out of the shower, the last girl to do so thanks to the extra laps she had to do for her small outburst, the only girl left in the locker room was, unsurprisingly, Dani. Santana just couldn't help herself.

"You know what, Santana? Maybe I'm _not_ a bitch and the truth is you're just a terrible cheerleader." Dani replies, slamming her locker shut and glaring at the brunette.

"Oh, come the fuck on, Dani. We both know that is so not it. You're a bitch to me and only me. You have some personal vendetta against me for no damn good reason and I think it's time you finally just fucking admit it." Santana's rambling and she knows it, but the longer she goes on, the more agitated Dani seems to be getting and really, all she's looking for is some reaction that will explain why the hell Dani has it out for her. "It's definitely not for the benefit of the squad, it's for your own sick pleasure and really if you just want to throw down fucking grow some _cojones_ and tell me 'cause I am down to -"

Suddenly Dani lunges forward. Santana's words die in her throat as she's expecting a hit. Instead, she's met with the pressure of lips against her own.

Holy shit.

Dani is kissing her.

_Kissing_ her_._

Santana barely has time to react before it's over – and holy hell that explains so much.

Dani pulls away with nothing but complete pain in her eyes. Santana can't help but reach for the girl's hand as she turns to walk away.

"Wait." she says. And as her hand captures Dani's wrist, a new revelation comes.

Dani flinches before she forcefully pulls her hand back. "Let go." she says, her voice cracking. She picks up her bag and practically sprints out of the locker room.

Santana collapses onto one of the benches.

What the hell is going on?

* * *

"We need to talk."

It's been two days of Dani avoiding her. Usually Santana would be ecstatic, but after what happened between them, she knows a lot has to be sorted out.

"No, we don't." Dani says, as she starts to walk down the hall away from her locker. The bell has already signaled the start of the next period, meaning the hallway is empty, save for the two girls who are already late.

"Oh, so you _didn't_ kiss me the other day and those _aren't_ scars on your wrist." Santana says bluntly. She needs answers and if being insensitive is the only way to get them, well then so be it. The ends justify the means and all that shit.

Dani stops in her tracks, but doesn't flinch. She turns around slowly before completely facing Santana again.

"Did you know that your friend Quinn used to call me Mammoth whenever she saw me? Said that I was too fat to even wear a cheerleading uniform." Dani says, her voice completely devoid of any emotion. Like she's stating facts about the weather, and not revealing to Santana what her old best friend used to do.

"I –" Santana starts to answer – or try to come up with an answer – before she gets cut off.

"No, you don't. Because you spent that whole time just worshiping the ground she walked on. You and all your little friends. Did you know I spent all of freshman year throwing up every single meal I ate? And then when that wasn't enough to stop me from hating myself I started to cut?"

Santana's mouth goes dry. The whole conversation almost feels surreal. Because certainly, this can't be really happening, can it?

"Did you know that it took me all of last year just to reach a healthy weight and to stop the urges from taking control?" Dani asks, her voice still controlled, but with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Dani..." Santana says softly. She doesn't know what she's supposed to say, but she feels like she should be saying something, _anything_.

"Did you know that this whole mess started because she saw the way I looked at you?" Dani's voice cracks. Her emotions finally getting the best of her. "How she needed to own you and no on else could have you. So she threatened to tell my parents, my _parents_, who would throw me out on the street the minute they'd find out." Dani says, and she's crying now.

"I used to be jealous of whoever got the chance to kill her, because she turned me into this. But now.." A bitter laugh escapes her before she continues. "Now I wish she was still around so I could ask her why the _fuck_ she decided to ruin my life."

Quinn Fabray had gone missing the year before and her body was found only 3 months ago. It's still hard to believe it all even happened. In the time that's passed though, Santana has seen a change in the people in school. Dani had been one of those people. She'd started to pick on Santana during practices, but now... Now Santana knows that's it's all due to the torment she received at the hands of a girl Santana used to call her best friend.

"So no, we can't talk."

* * *

"You're drunk."

It's the first thing that comes out of her mouth, but really, the only thing keeping the girl on her feet is the door-frame.

"My parentsare in Cleveland. Whatare you doing here?" Dani slurs.

"I came to apologize." Santana answers. She's taken a few days to really try to wrap her head around everything Dani had revealed to her. It hadn't been easy. She'd cried and ended up going to her mother for advice.

A few days before Quinn had disappeared, Santana had officially cut ties with her. It had taken her a while to see it, but once she had, it was hard to miss. Quinn was one hell of a magnetic personality and for every person she pulled in, a new wave of chaos would come as well.

"Why?" Dani asks as she walks back toward what seems to be the living room.

There are bottles and cans everywhere. The stench of alcohol as unmistakable as the identity of the white powder on the small coffee table in the middle of the room.

Dani collapses onto her couch and Santana slowly moves to sit next to her before saying what she needed to.

"Because there wasn't a reason why. Quinn did whatever she wanted to and it was all just for kicks. You didn't deserve that. And I'm sorry."

Dani looks at her then. Their eyes meet and Santana can see the painful reality behind the mask the girl wears.

"I used to dream you'd stand up to her for me. That you'd save me." She says.

Santana has to swallow the lump in her throat before speaking again. "I'm here now. And I'd like to think I'm not the same person I was when she was around. I'm... I'm here." She says, because there's not much else she can say.

She helped Quinn destroy this girl by not doing anything to stop her.

"I'm not okay." Dani says as she starts to cry.

Santana pulls her into her arms and cries too.

"I know."

* * *

It's the beginning of the new semester. Winter break had come and gone and as Santana stands in front of her locker, she gets nudged by Rachel. When Santana looks at her, Rachel gestures toward the end of the hall. Standing there, is Dani.

Santana closes her locker and walks over to the empty classroom the – now pink-haired girl – had entered.

"Hey." Santana says, as she softy closes the door behind her.

"Hey." Dani answers with a smile.

"You look good." And she does. Her smile comes across as genuine, rather than forced. The new hair color makes her look vibrant – makes her look _alive_. It's a look that Santana plans to never take for granted again.

Dani is glowing and it's a beautiful sight to behold.

"Yeah well, turns out coming out to my parents, moving in with my aunt, and spending all of my winter break in treatment was a step in the right direction." Dani says.

"I'm proud of you. You are so strong."

"Thank you. I learned that I had to be the one to save myself, you know? Still, you played a big part in helping me get better." Dani says.

"All I did was show up at your house." Because it's true. She'd spent that night just holding the girl. The next day she'd helped her clean up the living room and had been there while the girl called her aunt and asked for help. All Santana had done was hold her hand through it.

"No, you did more than that. You, _cared_. No one had ever done that before." And it's the sincerity in the girl's voice that makes Santana start to lose her composure.

"Dani –"

"So thank you." Dani cuts her off before she can get much further. "See you around Lopez." With that she walks to the door. As she opens it she lets out one last thing before leaving the room.

"By the way, your dancing still needs work!"

Santana can't help but laugh.

It's so fucking true.

* * *

"Hi."

"Hi." Santana answers.

It's been a few weeks since the conversation she and Dani had in the classroom. She'd thought about approaching the girl, but had decided to wait for her to do it. Dani was getting her life in order and Santana had been content to just watch.

"I'm going to ask you something and you need to answer honestly, okay? Because having the courage to be honest is a big part of my recovery and getting honesty in return helps more than you can imagine." Dani explains.

"Okay."

"Do you want to go to dinner with me on Friday?" She sounds confident, but Santana can see the way she's playing with the sleeves on her sweater.

"Yes."

It's the most honest thing she's ever said.

* * *

"I had a great time tonight." Santana says as they exit Breadstix.

If someone had told her a year ago that this would be her life today, she probably would have laughed at the absurdity of it all. But now, standing outside her favorite restaurant looking at a girl with pink hair, flushed cheeks, and a barely contained smile, Santana can't help but think that life works in mysterious ways.

"Me too." Dani answers. It takes her a moment – and Santana can see the processing in her eyes – but then Dani leans forward and softly presses her lips against Santana's.

It's nothing like that first kiss – which was more of a break. A sign of desperation, a cry for help. It had been her giving up.

This kiss though, which Santana doesn't hesitate to deepen by cupping the girl's face, isn't any of that. This one is part of a fix. A sign of elation, a sign of promise. It's her starting over.

And Santana is more than happy to be along for the ride.

* * *

Inspired by Pretty Little Liars.

**a/n: **I have some bonus chapters in the works. Give me a few days to sort out some IRL stuff, and you'll have them :) Again, thank you to all those who have read and/or reviewed, favorited and/or followed. You guys are awesome.


	7. Glee Season 2

**a/n: **Bonus Chapter!

* * *

[7/6]

"One dude was definitely paying attention to me." Finn said, a small smile playing on his lips.

They had just performed _Empire State of Mind_ in front of everyone that was in the courtyard and Finn was confident that it would definitely get them the new members they needed. Sure, the had lost Regionals the year before, but the whole experience had only strengthen them as a group. Now, their second year as New Directions would run a lot more smoothly.

Or so he hoped.

"Wanky."

"To us. Blonde. Big mouth." He quickly corrected, after the comment his observation had garnered.

"Okay, wankier."

"Santana!" Rachel snapped at the girl. She was in no mood for Santana's shenanigans. This was serious business. This was show choir!

"What?" Santana asked, not even a little surprised at Rachel's hostility.

"I saw a short girl also paying attention. We should make a move." Rachel said, ignoring Santana's question completely

"Okay, now you're seriously doing it on purpose." Because, seriously, could they not hear themselves?

"Find someone to join and leave the dirty jokes aside!" Rachel said as the stormed out of the Choir Room.

Guess some things never change.

* * *

"I saw you checking out the Glee Club." Apparently, no one other that Finn and Rachel had seen people interested in their performance – and as much as it pained her to admit it – she cared about the future of the Glee Club. They needed at least one new member to take over Matt's spot this year. Having seen a gorgeous blonde (and she only noticed her appearance because they couldn't afford to have anymore unattractive members in Glee, okay? they had enough already) bopping along to the performance earlier, Santana knew that it would probably be down to her to solve their little problem.

"Who says I was checking out the club?" The blonde answered smirking at Santana. She had just finished putting away her books in her locker and Santana could have sworn the girl had just checked her out when she turned to look at her.

_No, she didn't. Not that it matters. What went on with Brittany stopped in the Summer. It was a phase. Some fun, best friends and all that._

"You knew all the words to the song." Santana replied carefully.

"I like Jay Z."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"And maybe I like what I see." The girl replied, her smirk still firmly in place.

"Great then. This will definitely get Finchel off my back. Glee practice is at –"

"Who said I was taking about the Glee Club?"

Santana swallowed. She had not imagined it after all.

_It still doesn't matter, because you're not – you're just __**not.**_

"You just said – "

"I know what I just said. Do you?" When no answer came from Santana, the girl just giggled and walked away.

That was not how this was supposed to go down.

* * *

"I'm not gay." There. She had said the word. Now, hopefully, Dani would stop flirting with her during Glee Club or in class or at lunch – or really, all the places that the blonde felt the need to do so. Now, Santana could just let her know and have her move on and not lead her on. Because Santana wasn't interested. She just wasn't.

"You don't have to pretend with me." Dani said with a soft smile, while sitting on a couch under the bleachers outside.

"Why are you hanging out with the Skanks?" Santana asked, genuinely curious. With the voice she had, she'd made all the Glee kids simultaneously want to be her best friend and want to kill her. She really had no reason to have to seek out friends elsewhere.

"They like my tattoos." Dani replied simply, like that was a good enough answer.

"Heard you got slushied."

"Yup. It was delicious."

"Come again?" Santana really did not understand this girl. Here she was new and looking for all the world like a rebel without a cause. She joins Glee Club, flirts with her constantly, hangs out with the Skanks, and now apparently doesn't care about being slushied?

How was everything so simple to her? How did she not care what anyone though? _And why do I care so much?_

"Sam got slushied too."

"Then why are you both still around?"

"Santana..." Dani said softly, as she got up from the couch. She gently took one of Santana's hands and laced their fingers together. Santana didn't pull away. "..We like what we see."

* * *

"Sing the duet with me."

"You know damn well that it's not just singing together." Santana said, trying her hardest to not let her frustration turn completely into anger. Ever since that duets competition got announced by Schue, Dani insisted they sing together, like that wasn't going to sent out some sort of message. Like the whole school hadn't already found out that Dani was gay.

"Sam is signing with Kurt."

"I heard Sam wasn't gay."

"He's bisexual, because contrary to popular belief, you can be attracted to both sexes." Dani replied with an eyeroll.

"If you're trying to tell me something just say it." Santana said, barely keeping the anger out of her voice. She doesn't want to fight with Dani, she just needs for the girl to let this go.

"I'm not trying to tell you anything. All I'm saying is I want to sing a duet with you. And it doesn't have to mean anything more than that if you don't want it to. Okay?" And that's the honest truth to Dani.

She likes Santana, has made no secret of it. She thought the girl was gorgeous from the moment she saw her on the courtyard and has flirted constantly with her since then. At first she thought it was just one-sided, but the look in Santana's eyes, the blushing, the teasing from her friends about her "thing" with Brittany – it was all adding up.

"What if I want it to?" Santana asked in the quietest voice Dani had ever heard her speak in.

They were alone in the Choir Room. No one else was coming. Dani held Santana's hand again.

"Then that's okay too."

* * *

"We so got this in the bag, we were amazing and Schue would have to be blind, deaf, and stupid to not see that." Santana was over the moon. Dani and her had killed it. There was just no way any of the other duets would even come close to them – not even Rachel and Finn.

"We were so good." Dani answered with a huge smile on her face.

They were in the hallway, standing in front of the vending machine. Having walked out to get some water, they had ended up lingering, excitedly gushing about the performance they just gave.

Santana was so happy, so excited. Dani looked so beautiful, and she was so talented, and so supportive, and really, Santana just wanted to –

Kiss her. _Shit._

"Shit." Santana said as she pulled away from Dani, her lips tingling.

_No, no, no._ This wasn't supposed to happen. She was just on a performance high, and this was friendly, and no she didn't, they weren't, _I mean – _

"Santana – " Dani's voice cut through the jumbled mess that Santana's head had become.

"I have to go."

* * *

"You shouldn't be afraid." Dani said softly.

It was three in the morning and Santana couldn't sleep. She called the girl expecting to get no answer. Dani had picked up after the second ring.

"What if everyone hates me?" Santana asked, letting herself be completely open and vulnerable with the other girl.

"I'll never hate you. And neither will anyone else in Glee Club. I promise."

* * *

"You make it look so easy." Santana said, sitting on her bed.

"What? Playing guitar?" Dani asked from her place in Santana's desk chair. Her fingers quietly strumming to some song or another.

"Being out." Because she did, didn't she? Dani made just existing seem like the easiest thing in the world and if Santana was having such a hard time with it, well then that meant she was doing something wrong – didn't it?

"Well, much like playing guitar, you have to take it slow. You don't just come out playing a whole song. You have to learn." Dani explained with a small smile. "Along the way a few strings will snap, but hey..." With that she stood up and moved over to sit next to Santana on the bed. "...Guess what?"

"What?" Santana asked, looking deeply into the eyes of the girl who had showed up and completely turned her whole world upside down.

"That doesn't mean the guitar is broken. You get new strings. Better ones. More accepting ones."

"Okay."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Dani asked barely able to keep the smile off her face.

Santana had just kissed her (Kissed her!) in front of the whole Glee Club. She had just walked in, walked straight to the girl who was talking to the band, grabbed her face, and kissed her.

"I don't have the patience to learn little by little. I go all in." Santana explained. Her voice loud enough that all the Glee Club members who weren't having ridiculous reactions to their kiss (_Did Quinn and Mercedes really have a bet on it? Was that a tear in Sam's eye? Was Artie sporting a bo – no, not going there...What was up with Rachel's whale noises_?)

"Guess you'll never learn how to play guitar, huh?" Dani asked cheekily.

"Who says? I've got one whole song waiting for you." Santana answered, letting a smile take completely over her face.

"You are such an idiot." Dani laughed, pulling in the girl for another kiss.

"Yeah." Santana answered against Dani's lips.

* * *

"Thanks." Santana said, as Dani handed her the sheet music that was being passed out.

"No problem, babe." She answered, looking down at the papers in her hands. Dani could feel Santana staring at her. "What?" She asked, turning to look at her girlfriend.

"Nothing I just –" Santana said, trying to come up for an excuse as to why she was staring at her girlfriend like she had just handed her a puppy or something and not some photocopies of this week's lame song.

"What? Just realized how much you love me?" Dani teased. They hadn't said the words yet, but Dani loved to tease Santana with it. The girl would blush and mutter a _whatever _or something as she adverted her eyes. Dani thought it was the cutest thing.

"Yes." Santana answered. And that was it, wasn't it? That's why Santana couldn't help but stare, because she was, without a doubt, in love with this gorgeous girl. And the most mundane of actions had made her realize it.

A beat passed before Dani was able to answer.

"Good." She said, clearing her throat afterward. "'Cause I love you just as much."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Inspired by Glee Season 2. :)

**a/n:** Aaand that's it! Thank you so much for all those who read/reviewed/favorited/followed/etc this story. Much love!


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